Peg Wright at her family home in September 2014. She is sitting near an art piece with the Norwegian Royal Coat of Arms created for a 1939 dinner for Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha held in the same room.
Peg Wright is a wonderful example of how nearly everyone in Decorah played their part and worked hard to establish the first Nordic Fest and lay the foundations for its success over nearly 50 years.
Among her many contributions, Peg and her late husband Dr. David volunteered their home to be part of the first Historic Home Tours, as reviewed in last week's post. She also served as chair of the first National Rosemaling Exhibition during the first Nordic Fest. The Wright family dedicated massive time and effort to moving forward the mission of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.
David and Peg Wright made Decorah their home in 1954 following David's two tours of duty in Korea. It was during those early experiences in Decorah where Peg observed the seeds for the long standing success of Nordic Fest at the Winneshiek County Fair, retold here in her own words:
"My husband always liked to go to the county fair. He liked to go and see the animals that the 4-H kids brought. So we went. I was astonished to see that in almost every area - the kids each have their area to bring their pigs, their cows, their lambs - in practically every one sat a Norwegian trunk. They were using it for their supplies. Those trunks had been sitting in the barn. I came out of there just sort of amazed."
The high concentration of people with Norwegian heritage in Decorah, as Peg observes, was one important seed for the future success of Nordic Fest. The timing of the first Nordic Fest also coincided well with the shift in American culture that took place after Peg saw all the trunks at the fair when antiques and cultural heritage were generally more appreciated.
Among her many contributions, Peg and her late husband Dr. David volunteered their home to be part of the first Historic Home Tours, as reviewed in last week's post. She also served as chair of the first National Rosemaling Exhibition during the first Nordic Fest. The Wright family dedicated massive time and effort to moving forward the mission of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.
David and Peg Wright made Decorah their home in 1954 following David's two tours of duty in Korea. It was during those early experiences in Decorah where Peg observed the seeds for the long standing success of Nordic Fest at the Winneshiek County Fair, retold here in her own words:
"My husband always liked to go to the county fair. He liked to go and see the animals that the 4-H kids brought. So we went. I was astonished to see that in almost every area - the kids each have their area to bring their pigs, their cows, their lambs - in practically every one sat a Norwegian trunk. They were using it for their supplies. Those trunks had been sitting in the barn. I came out of there just sort of amazed."
The high concentration of people with Norwegian heritage in Decorah, as Peg observes, was one important seed for the future success of Nordic Fest. The timing of the first Nordic Fest also coincided well with the shift in American culture that took place after Peg saw all the trunks at the fair when antiques and cultural heritage were generally more appreciated.
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